Location

601 Smithe Street, Vancouver, BC

Seating

• 2,672 standard seats
• 16 wheelchair spaces

Accessibility

• Wheelchair seating is available on the orchestra and dress circle levels
• Wheelchair accessible washrooms on the orchestra level and the third floor
• Elevator access is available through the Smithe Street entrance
• Hearing aid receivers and binoculars at the main lobby coat check

Children

Please note that as of January 1, 2012, Vancouver Civic Theatres requires that all audience members, including children, must have a ticket. There are no exemptions to this policy regardless of the child’s age.

Latecomers

If you are late to a performance, ushers will seat you during a break in the performance.

Out of consideration for patrons who arrived on time, you may be seated at the back of the Mezzanine or Balcony until the first intermission, when you can move to your seat.

For some performances, seating will not be possible until first intermission. While waiting, you can follow the action on stage on the video monitors in the theatre lobby.

Lost and found

• Call 604-665-3050

Parking

Parking near the theatre is limited. Give yourself extra time before your event to find parking.

There is no parkade attached to the Orpheum, but there is parking in the neighbourhood, at meters and public parking lots.

• Find metered parking
• Find an EasyPark parking lot

BC Entertainment Hall of Fame

The Orpheum is home to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.

The Starwall Gallery on the 2nd floor off the Granville Street staircase features members of the Hall of Fame.

Outside the Orpheum is the Starwalk, a parade of plaques installed in the sidewalk along Granville Street to honour these artists.

• Learn more about the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame

Resident companies

The resident companies are non-profit groups who perform regularly at the theatre. They offer the finest in local theatre, music, dance, and opera.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada.

Vancouver Bach Choir

The Vancouver Bach Choir is a 150 voice choir and produces an annual series of concerts.

Vancouver Chamber Choir

The Vancouver Chamber Choir was formed in 1971 by conductor Jon Washburn and is internationally acclaimed.

Rent the Orpheum Theatre for your production. The Orpheum is located on Smithe at Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver.

Seating

• 2,672 standard seats
• 16 wheelchair spaces

Rental fees

Rates in effect 1September 2012 to 31 August 2013.
All listed rates and fees - unless specifically exempted - are subject to taxes applicable to venue rentals.

Contact

Contact our booking manager to rent a theatre or take a tour:

Email: peter.kendall@vancouver.ca

Get detailed rental information

History of the Orpheum

The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1927 as Vancouver's largest vaudeville house, providing a popular mix of live and screen entertainment.

Historical significance

• The Orpheum has a long association with classical music productions in Vancouver and with important local groups including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
• The Orpheum works closely with cinematic and live entertainment in Vancouver. For many years, the Orpheum was one of the few venues in Vancouver available to international performers.
• The history of the Orpheum’s use reflects broad patterns of change in the mass entertainment industry in North America, first for vaudeville, then for cinema, and subsequently as a civic theatre.
• As one of the City of Vancouver's three theatres, the Orpheum enforces the City's view that cultural and performance spaces are important to Vancouver citizens.

Architectural significance

• The Orpheum was Vancouver’s largest vaudeville movie palace from the first half of the 20th century and is the only one of its scale in Vancouver to survive.
• The Orpheum is one of the few decorative vaudeville movie palaces in Canada.
• The Orpheum provides a rare example of the Spanish Baroque Revival style, an uncommon type of 1920s architecture.
• The Orpheum’s architect was B. Marcus Priteca. He is recognized as the most accomplished theatre designer of his era in the American Northwest and Western Canada. This is the only surviving Canadian theatre designed by Priteca.
• The Orpheum has strong contextual value for being an anchor building in Vancouver’s Theatre Row.